


Falling/Awake

by Ook



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Experimental, Gen, It came from my brain, Scene tag, Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, idk - Freeform, or something., planes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-08
Updated: 2014-04-08
Packaged: 2018-01-18 15:25:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1433422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ook/pseuds/Ook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My tiny take on the scene at the end of the movie, when <i>that</i> happens. </p><p>You know, the thing. The falling thing.</p><p>I'd say more, but... spoilers!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Falling/Awake

_The sky is on fire,_ Steve thinks, vaguely, as he falls, watching the bulk of the helicarrier explode and fragment around him.

Steve falls.

Time stretches out around him, longer and longer and- as the helicarrier’s noisy death continues above him- louder.

Steve falls.

 _Bucky._

He can’t see Bucky, anymore, and his back and his gut both hurt where the Winter Soldier shot him; but his heart hurts worst, without Buck. Still. If anyone can survive this, it’ll be Bucky.

Impact.

The Potomac is hard, the weight of his fall slamming Steve into the water like the surface of the river’s concrete. He’s still falling, but it’s slower now. Quieter, too, underwater.

Steve is sinking.

Deeper and deeper, and he knows he should move his arms and legs, because air is going to become an issue very soon, but his body hurts and his heart’s tired and his head’s slow. The light is going, the bubbles are going and any minute now, Steve’s going to breathe in, and it’ll be water. 

Quiet and dark, down in the deeps, and Steve hates being breathless, hates it because it reminds him of the past, when he was sickly, and weak, and his friends were alive. 

_Bucky._ Bucky is alive. Steve hopes.

The light is going above him now, and Steve thinks he could try more, maybe strike out for the air, but he’s just… so… tired. Something reaches out for Steve as the light fades. It’s the weirdest thing. Metal, flashing underwater. 

A hand?

Darkness.

 

 

 

The Winter Soldier’s mind is on fire. _Goes with the scenery,_ he thinks, in a grim flicker of amusement. Everything is on fire. Or exploding. The helicarrier, his mind. His memories.

“Til the end of the line.”

The Captain. Captain America.

His mission. His masters’ latest _target._

The Winter Soldier plunges down, free falling, as the helicarrier continues dying. The water. The water is safer than the sky. Kinder.

He knows him. He knows the man, and, more importantly _the man knew him._ And _not_ as the Winter Soldier. 

He- he called him Bucky. 

Who the hell is Bucky?

“Til the end of the line.” 

He wouldn’t kill him. Fought him, but wouldn’t let him die. And he- The Winter Soldier, created killer, master assassin, perfect tool and perfect weapon, couldn’t kill him, either. _Couldn’t._

Crazy. 

Inexplicable.

The Captain is falling now, like he did before. Going down and down and d--.

No. The Winter Soldier does not remember that, ever. It is forbidden, scrubbed out of him every time.

The Captain hits the water, and does not re appear. The Winter Soldier watches, but cannot locate the man. 

_Target lost._

Is his mission complete, now? Who will give him the answers? Who will give him orders?

_Target lost, lost, **lost.**_

**_NO!_ **

Something is waking, in his head, a howling refusal of Steve’s death, something familiar and agonising and strange.

_“Til the end of the line.”_

He knows the dark. He knows falling. He knows. Nothing and everything, and he _wants answers,_ damnit. The Captain knew him. Knows him. He wouldn’t kill him before. Said he couldn’t kill his friend. If he doesn’t die on him, maybe Captain _Steve_ America _Rogers_ will tell him what he needs to know. 

He searches the waters, again. 

The Captain is sinking, is down deep in the dark. He’s not moving. 

_Steve!_

_Target re-acq-_

_**NO.** _

The Winter Soldier is as good at swimming as he ever was at anything his masters needed him to be good at. He dives, aiming himself like the weapon they want him to be, down, down, to his target.

His _friend._

He strikes out for the surface of the river, dragging the Captain back to life as he wakes.

 

They reach air and light together.

**Author's Note:**

> Just something that popped out of my head after seeing the Film the other day. Enjoy!


End file.
